The Adventure So Far

Here is where we will document the continuing journey of The Spirit of the Horizon, and the brave crew who sail upon her through a strange new world. You can watch all adventures to date on our Youtube channel, or catch the adventure live-streaming on Twitch – or come and join us at Sweet Holyrood to watch or play live!

Prologue: Awakening a Dead God

Caught in the midst of a grim cold war, the crew of the Spirit of the Horizon travel to a recently appeared island off the coast. This plucky research vessel, accompanied by two warships, carries a crew comprised of naval officers and civilian scientists – together, they hope to make a discovery that might help finally defeat their long-term foe.

The island they discover is – odd. Geometry seems to not have been a factor while this island was constructed – and constructed is the right word, the entire thing seemingly raised from the depths as just a large building, with no sign of any land.

A landing party consisting of Captain Sami d’Lasson, lieutenants Drexore Kelrift and Ulmorn Bloodgrip, midshipman Denny and head researcher Caithana Astor go on land to explore. The ground is littered with bones – some of which animate into undead skeletons! After a brief foray and a grievous wound, Captain d’Lasson retreats and commands her officers to continue their exploration.

They do so – and discover the door to a giant temple. The door is locked and marked with a puzzle – Caithana, ever the scientist, solves the mathematical square problem with ease, and the door is unlocked. She is replaced by gnome wizard Breena Froddle, another of the research team, and they continue into the temple.

The temple opens out into a giant shrine, guarded by a large horned skeleton. As Denny and Drexore engage the beast, Breena and Ulmorn make their way around to a mysterious tablet in the centre of the room, behind which looms a giant sarcophagus.

Suddenly, a savage strike from the skeleton literally bisects the noble Drexore, who is killed instantly. At the same time, Ulmorn makes the somewhat rash decision to pick up the tablet – which seems to awaken something in the sarcophagus.

As Ulmorn makes a run for it, with Breena helping carry the tablet, Denny exceeds all expectations of a lowly midshipman and manages to defeat the large skeleton as it chases after the tablet. In the meantime, the rest of the skeletons on the island animate, and the entire party escape back to the Spirit of the Horizon.

As the ship makes its escape, a gigantic abomination with a face-full of tentacles and shrivelled bat-like wings breaks its way out of the temple – and sends a swarm of oversized dragonfly monsters to attack the ship. Everyone reels from seeing this ancient god appear, causing Breena to suffer a minor panic attack, and look-out Aladien to fall from the crow’s nest. He manages to recover, hitting some of the flying monsters with arrows before being grabbed by one and carried off.

In the meantime, the ancient god destroyed the warships accompanying the Spirit of the Horizon with laughable ease, punching holes in their hulls and sinking them. With Ulmorn at the ship’s wheel and half-orc Commander of the Marines Jozin Kaosplintrr defending, the Spirit of the Horizon tries to make its escape – but they have no chance of defeating a god.

Captain d’Lasson, in desperation, reads the tablet they discovered (with the help of Breena and Caithana), and works out that it contains a powerful teleportation spell. She begins to cast it, with Ulmorn joining (after falling onto a dragonfly monster in a vague attempt to “help”).

Aladien comes to in the claws of the dragonfly monster, and pulls off a miraculous recovery, tearing off one of its wings to make it turn towards the ship and then leaping into the water nearby, where he is saved by Jozin – who promptly starts munching on one of the dead monsters.

As Captain d’Lasson finishes casting the spell, the Spirit of the Horizon suddenly experiences a bright light – at which point the crew notice that the ocean has calmed, the god is gone, and the ship is somewhere they don’t recognise. They have travelled somewhere completely different – and Captain d’Lasson has died in the casting of this spell, leaving the ship without no one in charge.

Unsure of what to do next, Aladien spots land – and the Spirit of the Horizon starts making its way into this strange new world.